Safety fishhook container and dispenser



Oct. 24, 1961 H. F. LOVELL 3,005,574

SAFETY FISHHOOK CONTAINER AND DISPENSER Filed Dec. 11, 1959 20 1 36????- U ,4 D44 U Kg 0 o o 9i 3 M m) -;/zam Q United States Patent 3,005,574 SAFETY FISHHOOK CONTAINER AND DISPENSER Hugh F. Lovell, 4106 Lehigh, Houston, Tex. Filed Dec. 11, 1959, Ser. No. 859,034 6 Claims. (Cl. 221-310) This invention relates to a novel safety fishhook container and dispenser.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device of the kind indicated, which is especially safe and convenient for use by wading fishermen and by youngsters, and wherein the fishhooks, together with their points, are fully enclosed, and wherein fishhooks can be dispensed, one at a time, with one hand of the user of the device, with the snells of the hooks turned away, the device being adapted to be suspended on the person, as by a neck cord or belt, and being buoyant so as to eliminate loss of the device in water.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple, efficient, and relatively inexpensive device of the character indicated above, in which fishhooks are inserted and removed longitudinally and endwise in the device, feed of the fishhooks toward one end of the device being produced gravitationally, and fishhook retaining means being disposed at said one end.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of a device of the invention and a treble fishhook in process of being removed or inserted therein;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevation of the device looking from right to left in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged central longitudinal section taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numetals designate like parts throughout the several views, the illustrateddevice, generally designated 10, is designed to accommodate treble fishhooks 12, but can be modified to accommodate double or single fishhooks.

The device comprises an elongated preferably plain cylindrical body 14 which can be constructed solid and of buoyant material, as shown, or be othewise constructed to the same ends. The body 14 has preferably squared first and second or upper and lower ends 16 and 18, respectively, which are so designated because the device is preferably to be suspended on the person of the user, as with a cord (not shown) threaded through a transverse opening 20 provided through the body at its upper end 16.

The body 14 has a preferably smooth and uniformly cylindrical outer surface 22, to which open the outer open sides of longitudinal slots 24 which reach radially inwardly in the body to a central or axial longitudinal bore 26, the bore 26 being somewhat larger in diameter than the widths of the slots, The slots 24 and the bore open at their lower ends through the lower end 18 of the body 14, as indicated at 28 and 30, respectively.

At their upper ends the slots 24 terminate in arcuate end walls 32, which curve in radially outward and upward directions from the bore 26, and are spaced from the upper end 16 of the body 24. The bore 26 reaches upwardly beyond the arcuate slot end walls 32, to substantially the lengths of the shanks 34 of the fishhooks 12, and has a closed upper end 36 which is spaced from the upper end 16 of the body 24. The bore 26 is sufiiciently larger in diameter than the slots so as to freely and slidably accommodate the eyes 38 on the shanks 34.

The slots 24 are somewhat deeper than the spans of 3,005,574 Patented Oct. 24., 1961 ice the fishhook snells 40 and are narrower than the shanks 34 and the eyes 38, so that the shanks are retained in the bore 26, so as to prevent projection of the barbed points 42 out of the slots, and the slots 24 only wide enough to freely and slidably accommodate snells 40 therein. The slots 24 are preferably long enough to accommodate therein five fishhooks 12, which is the usual number sold in packages, in end to end relationship, with the snells 40 directed upwardly, and with the snell 40 of the lowermost fishhook extending partially below the lower end 18 of the body 14, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3.

For releasably retaining fishhooks 12 in the device 10, a spring detent assembly 44 is fixed on the lower end 18 of the body 14, and extends across the open lower end of at least one slot 24. The detent assembly 44 preferably comprises a pair of outwardly extending, spring arms 46, fixed at their inward ends in the body end 18 and being canted and tensioned toward each other, and having enlarged cam heads or balls 48 'on their outward ends. The heads 48 normally in forcible touching relationship so as to provide a stop with which the longitudinally outward side of the snell 40 of a lowermost fishhook 12 engages, so as to be retained in the device, with enough of the snell projecting below the body end 18 to afford an ample hand-grip which enables a user of the device to readily grasp the snell 40 and pull the lowermost hook 12 from between the detent heads 48 and withdraw the lowermost hook from the device, with one hand while the device is suspended on the person or on another support.

In inserting fishhooks 12 into the device 10, the eyes 38 and shanks 34 are pushed up in the bore 26, with the snells 40 aligned with the slots 24, and the snells pushed past the cam heads 48.

Although there has been shown and described herein a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and

1 that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A safety fishhook container and dispenser comprising an elongated body having first and second ends and an outer surface, said body having an axial bore having a closed end located near to and spaced from said first end and an open end opening through said second end,

1 a longitudinal slot having a closed end spaced from said closed end of the bore and an open end opening through said second end of the body, said slot having an inward side opening into said bore and an outward side opening through the surface of the body, said bore being only large enough in diameter to slidably receive the shank and eye of a fishhook with its snell disposed in said slot, the bore being long enough to accommodate a plurality of fishhooks in end to end relationship, said slot being nar rower than the bore and wide enough to slidably receive the snell of a hook and deeper than the snell and the barbed point on the snell, and releasable detent means mounted on the second end of the body with which a hook snell is adapted to retainably engage.

2. A safety fishhook container and dispenser comprising an elongated body having first and second ends and an outer surface, said body having an axial bore having a closed end located near to and spaced from said first end and an open end opening through said second end, a longitudinal slot having a closed end spaced from said closed end of the bore and an open end opening through said second end of the body, said slot having an inward side opening into said bore and an outward side opening through the surface of the body, said bore being only large enough in diameter to slidably receive the shank and eye of a fishhook with its snell disposed in said slot, the bore being long enough to accommodate'a plurality of fishhooks in end to end relationship, said slot being narrower than the bore and wide enough to slidably receive the snell of a hook and deeper than the sneil and the barbed point on the snell, and releasable detent means mounted on the second end of the body with which a hook snell is adapted to retainably engage, said body being cylindrical and solid.

3. A safety fishhook container and dispenser comprising an elongated body having first and second ends and an outer surface, said body having an axial bore having a closed end located near to and spaced from said first end and an open end opening through said second end, a longitudinal slot having a closed end spaced from said closed end of the bore and an open end opening through said second end of the body, said slot having an inward side opening into said bore and an outward side opening through the surface of the body, said bore being only large enough in diameter to slidably receive the shank'and eye of a fishhook with its snell disposed in said slot, the bore being long enough to accommodate a plurality of fishhooks in end to end relationship, said slot being narrower than the bore and wide enough to slidably receive the snell of a hook and deeper than the shell and the barbed point on the snell, and releasable detent means mounted on the second end of the body with which a hook snell is adapted to retainably engage, said body being buoyant.

4. A safety fishhook container and dispenser comprising an elongated body having an outer surface and first and second ends, said body having an axial shank and eye receiving bore extending from said second end to a point near to and spaced from said first end, said bore being only large enough in diameter to slidably accommodate the shanks and eyes of fishhooks having plural barbed snells, said bore having a closed end near the first end of the body, smell-receiving slots extending in said body from said second end to a point near to and spaced inwardly from the adjacent end of the bore, and having closed ends spaced inwardly from the closed end of the bore, said slots being ci-rcurnferentially spaced'around thebody and having outward sides opening to the outer surface of the body and inward sides opening into said bore, said slots being narrower than the bore, said bore and said slots being long enough to accommodate a plurality of fishhooks in end to end relationship therein, with the snells directed toward the first end of the body and with the snell of an end hook extending partially beyond the second end of the body, and releasable detent means mounted on the second end of the body to retainably engage the end hook snell.

5. A safety fishhook container and dispenser comprising an elongated body'having first and second ends and an outer surface, said body having an axial bore having a closed end located near to and spaced from said first end and an open end opening through said second end, a longitudinal slot having a closed end spaced from said closed end of the bore and an open end opennig through said second end of the body, said slot having an inward side opening into said bore and an. outward side opening through the surface of the body, said bore being only large enough in diameter to slidably receive the shank and eye of a fishhook with its snell disposed in said slot,

the bore being long enough to accommodate a plurality of fishhooks in end to end relationship, said slot being narrower than the bore and wide enough to slidably receive the snell of a hook and deeper than the smell and the barbed point on the snell, and releasable detent means mounted on the second end of the body with which a hook snell is adapted to retainably engage, said detent means comprising a pair of spring arms having inward ends fixed to said second end of the body at opposite sides of the slots, said arms being tensioned toward each other across the slot and having carn'heads on their outer ends which are normally engaged with each other.

6. A safety fishhook container and dispenser comprising an elongated body having an outer surface and first and second ends, said body having an axial shank and eye receiving bore extending from said second end to a point near to and spaced from said first end, said bore'being only large enough in diameter to slidably accommodate the shanks and eyes of fishhooks having plural barbed snells, said bore having a closed end near the first end of the body, snell-receiving slots extending in said body from said second end to a point near to and spaced inwardly from the adjacent end of the bore, and having closed ends spaced inwardly from the closed end of the bore, said slots being circumferentially spaced around the body and having outward sides opening to the outer surface of the body and inward sides opening into said bore, said slots being narrower than the bore, said bore and said slots being long enough to accommodate a plurality of fishhooks in end to end relationship therein, with the shells directed toward the first end of the body and with the snell of an end hook extending partially beyond the second end of the body, and releasable detent means mountedon the second end of the body to ret-ainablycngage the end hook snell, said detent means comprising spring arms having inward ends fixed to the second end of the body at opposite sides of a slot, said arms being tensioned toward each other and having cam heads on their outer ends which are normally engaged with each other and against which the smell of end fishhook is adapted to retainably engage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

